Lynette Hinings-Marshall on Vietnam

8/14/2019 Lynette Hinings-Marshall on Vietnam

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Halong Bay View

It w ill soon be S eptem ber w hen S eoulites cel ebrate Chuseok bu tthere is still tim e to use this Thanksgiv ing holida y to escape tot he w a rm th . W hy not V ie tnam? Descr ibe d as large r tha n Ita ly andloo king like a bam boo po le supporting a bas ket of rice on eachend , Vietnam is 1 ,600 k ilo m et ers of t rop ica l co astline w rapp ingaround th e In doc hinese Pen in su la .

For those w ho w ant to be aw ay fo r just the ho lida y w eekendyou could co nsider the finest resort in V ietnam , the N am H ai.From D anang A irpo rt this lu xu rious enclave is only 20 m inu tessouth on C hina Beach , nea r H oi A n, the ancient trading po rt.Eac h vi lla has its ow n landscaped garden ; so m e w ith a po ol andall w ith spacious, ul tra- m od er n w ood and marb le fu rnish ingsThe ro m ance of Ind ochina ha s been capt ured in the silky m us lindr apes tha t envelop each poste r bed perched upo n a split lev elte ak-w ood pla tfo rm . Vaulted ceiling s and spa ba ths entice you toorder room serv ice but you m ay change your m ind af te r din ing atth e re sta urant terrace.

Im ag ine a p rivate ta ble under a palm tree , the ocea n bare lyvisib le but the night so qui et you can hear every w ave. Your m enuhas a sm all readi ng lig h t attached so as not to in trude upon th isromantic am bience . D on't hesitate to ask Austral ian ch ef KathTownsend to m ake som ething special for yo u. I ordered a platterof steam ed crab w ith a tam arind sa uce , steamed tige r p rawns in

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coconut ju ice , and squ id stuffe d with sh itake m ush roo m s an dco riand er. This w as accom panied by a lotus sala d and w hen theb ill ar rived it w as half the pr ice I w ou ld ha ve paid in Seo u l, inspite of the luxurious surround ings

The variety o f V ie tnamese food is st ag gering W hi le a part ofC hi na, the V ietnam ese adopted C onf uc ian ism , B ud dhism ,chopsticks and the w ok. H ano i cu is ine sti ll ref lec ts th is C hines ein fluen ce w ith cook s rel y ing on black pepper rath er than ch ilie s.They also pre fer be ef-p ossib ly a lingering result of th~ 13 thcen tury M ongol ian invasions. V ie tn am 's three cen turies ofFrench h ist ory is m ost ev ide nt in the so uth . H otels here offe r abaguette, yo gh urt an d orange Ju ice for bre akfa st alon g withtrad itional V ietnamese pancake s an d bun xa o (bee f noodle s!. Th esouth is best know n fo r th e m ost im portant ingre dient in all ofV ietnam es e cu isine-fish sa uce or nuoe mam . M an y V ietnamesedishes incl ude lem ongrass and kaffir lim e leaves, an d unlikeC hinese food, lit tle oil is used w hich is good new s for th e w eight-consc ious.

If you pla n to tour V ietna m this fa ll beg in in m y favorite city,H ano i. Y es, V ietnam is a C om m un is t sta te run from H anoi , butN o, th is w ill not intrude upon your enjoyment ofhis charm ing ,slow-pace d an d conservative capital city . H an oi ha s beau tifulsh aded bou levards and the ex quisite jew el of H oan K iem La ke at


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its center . W e st ayed in the O ld Q uarte r, w ith its la by rin th ofna rrow streets, foo d stalls , and rich stree t life . It w as aco m for tab le stro ll to the lake to view the 18 'h century pagodaThap R ua on the center is land, and w e particularly enj oyed theJa de M ountain Tem ple [D en N goc Sonl tha t w e w alked to over ared pedestrian bridge. O n one early m ornin g w alk w e sawhund reds of loca ls m ovi n g rh yth mic ally in groups th rough thei rta i ch i chu an exercises.

It w ou ld be rem iss no t to recom m end th a t you tak e a Pedi cabea rly one m orn ing to H o C h i M inh 's M ausoleum as it o nly open sfrom 8 am to 11 am Tu es day to Thur sd ay. O n ou r retu rn w esto ppe d to adm ire the beaux-arts-st yle H an oi O pera H ous e andthen lunched across the street at the five-star M etropole H ote lw here G raham G reene w rote Th e Qu ie t Ame ric a n. So m e of youm ay rem ember th is lo ca le as the place w her e Jane Fon da m adehe r in fam ous bro adcast dur ing the V ie tna m W ar. Befo re leav ingH anoi I w ou ld recommend you see a pe rform ance at the ThangLong W ate r Puppe t The ater. A t only U S $4 a ticket you w il l been ch anted by both the puppets and the tra di tional V ietnameseorchestra l m usic . If you have tim e, visit the M useum ofEthno logy, the Tem ple of Lite ra tu re and th e M ilitary H is tor yM u seum and try to fit in one o f th e H oa Sua res tauran ts. Theseare tra in ing restauran ts fo r disadv antag ed you th w ho w ill show er

Nam Hai Resort Villa bedroom

you w ith attention and sm iles as they serv e an excelle nt th ree -course con tinental o r V ietnam ese m eal fo r U S$12. H oa Sua'salte rnative job program offe rs a clea r s ig n tha t Vietnam ism ov in g away fro m its histor ic C hinese cultur al period w he npass ing the im pe rial M andarin ex am s w as once the on ly m eansfor ad vancement

In part , thanks to C atherine D eneuve and the m ovieIn dochine, the U N ESC O her ita ge listed H a long Bay is a must-seein V iet na m . H a lo ng translat es lite ral ly as "w here the drag ondes cend s into th e sea," and it is easy to im ag ine som e m agica lcrea tu re sw ishing its ta il and p lunging into the se a. W e w ent by

Nam Hai Resort Pool

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Hanoi Military Museum

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Ho Chi Minh Main. Market

Ho Chi Minh. City Street

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Pho drying in the garden of the Hoi An Ancient House

The pho bakery a/ the Hoi An Ancient House

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Halong Bay Cave

Hanoi Water Puppets

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co ach from H anoi and spen t the n ight aboard an exo tic loo kingjunk. There m ay be m ore than 3 ,0 00 isla nds w ith dramaticlim estone fo rm at ions and caves in H a lo ng Bay but tou ris ts areres trict ed to a very sm all a rea. A lth ou gh U N ES C O re cog n ized H aLong Bay as a W orld N atu ra l H e rita ge A re a in 199 4, an d the lo calprovincia l government establis hed the H a Lon g BayM ana gem ent D epa rtm ent in 1995 , tourism is nonethe les s taki ngits to ll on the Bay. I w ould caution anybody tha t if yo u im ag in em oo ring a lone am id pris tine beaut y, the reality m ay be that it w illfee l m ore lik e a busy m arina . S ad ly , I ha d to choose not to sw imafte r I sa w the am ount o f sew erage and rubb ish flo ating in th ewater, and regrettably I see no sign tha t th is problem is beingaddressed . I recommend you try to stay in H al ong Bay lon ge nou gh to s ail fur ther aw ay from the one-n ight to urist ju nks.

N ex t day from D anang a irport w e d rove 30 kilom eters southto the rive rside tow n of H oi An . In 199 9 , U N ESC O decla red theo ld tow n a W orld H er ita ge s it e. It is a w ell-pr es erved exam ple ofa Sout hea st Asi an tra ding port o f the 15 th to 19 th cen tu ries,w hos e build ing s d isp lay a un ique blend of loca l and foreigninfluences. For ce nturies H oi Ans w harf w as crow ded withD utc h, Portuguese , C hi nese and Ja panese sa ilin g sh ipsBecause th e tow n w as har dly touched by the V ietna m W ar [eventhough it w as a ttacked during the Tet O ffens ive !' hundr eds of

Hanoi Market at night

h ist or ical ly and architectura lly im portan t st ructures are beingrest ored. W alk ing around you w ill notice that m any of H o i An 'shouses have rou nd p ieces o f w ood w ith an am an d duong sym bo lsurrou nded by a spira l de sign over the doorw ay. These w atch fu leyes [m at cua l pr o tec t the residents. H oi An is also m aking anam e for itsel f today as the city o f tailors and so a popular touristpa stim e is to ha ve new clothes hand m ade at a fra ction of th eco st back hom e. I av o ide d the m ore w ell know n tailor s in favor ofSao, a sm aller ta ilor on the m ain street w ho did de ta iled hand

Ho Chi Minh Father and Daughter

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Hwe Pagoda

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stitch ing and lis tened w ell to w hat I needed.O ur ho tel, the A ncien t H ouse , w as w ith in w a lki ng dis tan ce o f

a ll the h ighlights But one of the best h ighligh ts w as a fe a ture inth e h ote l: a la rge , tropi cal poo l surr ou nde d by bouga in v illea andhib iscus tha t w e fe ll in to a t the end o f ea ch day o f s igh tse eingan d sh opp ing . A t the ho tel the re is a sm a ll fa m ily bakery w herefive ge ne ra tions have m ade pho , a tradi tion al rice nood le . Ear lyone m orning w e watched the rice being gro un d, bo iled , an dro lle d into la rge d isc s, rather lik e thi n, translu cen t pizzas , be fo rebein g dr ied indoors on dom e shaped w ooden racks over hotcoals o r, w ea the r permitt ing , outdoors on large ra ck s. A bou t 80percent o f H o i A n r es ta ur ant s order th e ir ph o fro m here.

O ne da y w e ren ted a la rge van and dr iver fo r on ly U S$ 80 fo rthe en tire da y and, w ith four friends, v is ite d H w e. The h ighligh tso f th is anc ien t cap ita l a re the m oated C itade l (K inh Thankh] an dthe Th ien M u P agoda. The driv e over the m ount a in range thoughproved to be ou r favorite part of the trip . The ru ral qu ie t na tu re o fthe m ounta ins m ade us feel w e w ere seeing ev erydayV iet nam ese life w ith out the superfic ial lay er o f tourism .

B ack a t H oi A n w e m anaged to fit in a trip to the R ed BridgeR es taurant , w ell -know n fo r its cooking schoo l, w hi ch is veryp ic turesque especial ly w hen arrived at bybo a t. W e fr equente dthe N an Long R estaurant w here w e sa t ou ts ide by the riverea ting succu len t, fre sh ly caugh t crabs. The fo llow ing day Ire lax ed at an excel len t spa just a coup le of b locks from ou r ho te lw here a four-hour beau ty trea tment w ith qua lity p rodu ct co stless than a dinner in S eoul. Tha t even in g w e in du lged ours e lve sat th e N am H ai resort (w earing our new ly tailored cl ot hes o fco urse] and the next m orn in g flew to H o C h i M inh C ity o r as theloca ls say, S a igon . W hen a loca l w as as ked w hy S a igo n is thepr e fe rre d na m e, the answ er w as s im p le en ough: it 's eas ie r tosa y.

Sa igon is w here the new cap italism is m os t apparen t an dS a igon inhab itan ts w ant to c la im their sh are of th e m odernco nsu m er ism . There are s eve ra l m odes o f tran sport by w h ich tona v igate the c ity cen ter: by foo t, by pe da l po we re d cyc les , by theubiqui tous , un lice nsed H onda O ms (m oto rb ike s! ' o r ev er p resen tta x is [jus t rem em ber to take the ta x ies w ith green let ter ing asthey are governm ent run an d cost a tent h o f the price of pr ivatel yow ned/operated taxis.] The firs t s top for m any tou ris ts is thehug e c en tra l marke t, C ho B en Than h. The m ain en trance w ith itsbe lfry and c lock is a sym bo l o f S aigo n and ins ide even th e m ostjaded consum er w il l find them se lves back insh op p ing m odebec ause of the huge rang e of goo ds at ba rga in pr ices.

For us the high ligh t of S aigon w as fo und out si de the c ity on afu ll day tour o f th e M eko ng D elta . K now n as V iet nam 's breadbas ket , th e M ek ong D e lta is a low and unclu ttered lush gree n

Hoi An Fisherman

la nds ca pe w ith m ea ndering rive rs, pag oda s, an d m on key brid ges(so -ca lled because they re sem ble the h igh narrow pla tformabove a deck or in an engin e room or bo iler room on a ship .]Locals express best w hat th is area is like w ith the phrase , "cob ay th an g ce nh ,' m e a ning the "la nd is so large th a t the cranesca n stre tch th e ir w in gs as they fly ." Th is w as a relax ing changefr om the no ise and cr ush o f S aigo n But even he re , the C ae B eflo a ting m arke t w as de fin ite ly bustl ing and the riv e r lifes ty leseem s to be anyth ing but la ng u id

In th is reg ion is M y Tho w here th e tru ly ad venturous can trythe lo ca l sp ec ia lty: snake . You can w atch as the ga llb ladder isextracted from the fresh ly -ki lled snake and mixed w ith b lood andw h isky to drink as an aphrod is iac The snak e is the n chopped upan d st ir frie d w ith curry w h ic h w as ra ther un interesting an dtasteless. For som e a m ust see excurs ion fr om S a igo n is the C uC hi tu nn els but I dec ided this w as fo r the younge r and m ores ligh tly built. Al though there is a C u C h i history m useum tha tdescr ibes the tunne ls w e w ere to ld tha t it is a ll in V ietnam ese soinstead w e h ire d a ca r fo r the day and vis ited the numerous an dfascina ting pagodas o f Sa igon .

D uring our excursion, w e lunched a t P ho 24 (a franchisefo un d a ll ov er S a igonl ac ros s fr om the S herat on and in th e hearto f w hat use d to be th e French Q ua rte r N o tw o resta ur ant s m ak epho the sa m e w ay. A t Pho 24 th ey ad d fla nk, br iske t, trip e , freshbas il le av es , c hilies, lim e ju ice , ho ison sauce and a little sriracha(Tha i h ot c hili] sauce. A ccompan ied by s ou rso p-a sp iny, yel low-green fru it w ith ta rt, ed ib le pu lp= Ithi nk sour app le sm oothi el ,thi s w as a hea lthy and v ibr ant tasting lunch . D inner tha t e ve ningin the old Fr ench Q uarter w as our fare we ll to V ie tnam . I le ft w iththe distinc t im pression tha t V ie tn am is now so fir m ly en gaged into ur ism tha t in five years m any o f th is trip 's s igh ts andex perienc es w ill no lo nger be avai lable . P erhaps V ie tnam is ades tination best v isi ted now to rea lly en joy its uniqueness. fJ

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Lynette Hinings-Marshall on Vietnam

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